Broker Prep — bpleone / trade

⚠ Before you do this — readiness checklist

☐ Model has ≥100 rated outcomes

☐ Model accuracy ≥55% over last 30 rated

☐ Autopilot paper has run for ≥1 month w/ positive P&L

☐ You've worked through full cycle of drift / retrain / promotion at least once

☐ Risk-of-Ruin model says ≤5% chance of blow-up

☐ You're comfortable with losing the first 5% live as the model adapts to real fills/slippage

If you can't check all 6 — keep paper-trading first.

📊 Broker Comparison · what to pick

Broker	API	Cost	Best For
Alpaca	REST + WebSocket · official docs alpaca.markets →	FREE tier · paper API · live IEX feed	★ Starting point. Free, clean API, paper-to-live one flag swap.
Tradier	REST · brokerage tradier.com →	$10/mo · sandbox free	Real options trading. Solid for multi-leg.
Polygon	REST + WS · data only polygon.io →	$29-199/mo	Best data feed. Pair with another broker for execution.
Interactive Brokers	TWS API · complex ibkr.com →	Pro · per-share fees	For large accounts. Most product coverage. Complex setup.
Finnhub	WebSocket · data only finnhub.io →	FREE tier	Free real-time US equities. Already wired in settings.html.

Open the broker account

Pick from above. I recommend Alpaca for first-timers — fully digital, takes ~10 minutes, free paper account immediately, can flip to live with $0 funding requirement.

Apply at alpaca.markets. Click "Sign up", complete KYC (SSN, address), select individual account, accept agreements. Approval is usually instant.

Generate API keys

Once logged in, go to: Dashboard → Paper Trading → API Keys → Generate. Copy the Key ID and Secret Key. Save them — secret won't show again.

For LIVE keys (real money), use Live Trading → API Keys. Same process. Always use paper first.

Configure bpleone

Open settings.html. Select provider = Alpaca. Paste your Key ID + Secret. Toggle "Enable Live Feed". Click Save & Connect. Within 30 seconds the data pill in the nav should turn green ("LIVE FEED").

Watch for 1 week — paper mode

Don't trade yet. Watch Model Results and Autopilot Paper with real-quote data. Real prices may differ from synthetic — model might re-calibrate. If accuracy holds for a week, you're ready.

Start small with LIVE keys

Switch to live keys in settings.html. Fund the account with the minimum you can afford to lose — $500-2000 to start. The model's real win rate may differ from paper by 5-10% due to slippage. Plan accordingly.

First 20 trades: take only ≥80% confidence calls. Size = 0.5% of account. Re-evaluate after 20.

Scale up methodically

If first 20 trades are profitable AND match paper hit rate within 5%: scale risk to 1% of account. After 50 trades: 1.5%. Never more than 2% per trade. Use Risk Sizer PRO for exact sizing.

⚠ Critical reminders

Past paper performance does not guarantee live results. Slippage, fees, and broker behavior all subtract from model edge.
The brain's autopilot can fire many trades per day. Disable autopilot for live — always have human approval on real-money trades. Use the brain as input, not as autopilot.
Set a daily max loss at your broker (most platforms support this). If you hit it, system locks you out for the day.
If you live-trade options: paper-trade single legs only at first. Multi-leg is fragile to slippage.
Tax: every closed trade is a taxable event. Keep records via the journal.

📞 What to do if something breaks

Most broker APIs have status pages. Check yours first if data stops flowing. The bpleone DataProvider auto-reconnects with exponential backoff. If it gives up after ~10 attempts, refresh the page. Logs are in localStorage under bpleone_data_v1.